In brief

It’s the return of the BBC‘s heartwarming comedy, Mum, but fans will be sad to hear it’s the final series of the award-winning show.

It centres around Cathy, (played by the Oscar-nominated Lesley Manville) who at the start of series one which aired in 2016, found herself widowed. The first series followed the first year after the tragedy, with each episode focused around each acalendar month.

When is it on?

Mum starts on BBC Two on Wednesday 15 May at 10pm. The six-part series will also be available on iPlayer.

Is there a trailer?

Yes – here’s what to expect this time around:

What will happen in this series?

At the end of series two, Cathy finally confessed her feelings for Michael to him – but only after he had announced plans to join his daughters who live in Spain.

Viewers were elated in the final episode when Cathy and Michael finally held hands during a firework display – but Jason saw them, and did not look happy.

Series three picks up on location for the cast, as Pauline invites the family to holiday at a fancy country house, which she has hired to celebrate finally getting divorced.

Who stars in the cast?

Manville returns as Cathy, and Peter Mullan is back as Cathy’s love interest, Michael.

Jason, Cathy’s son, is played by Sam Swainsbury, while everyone’s favourite nice-but-dim girlfriend, Kelly is also back in this series and played by Lisa McGrillis.

Cathy’s parents-in-law Reg and Maureen are played by Karl Johnson and Marlene Sidawa.

Also popping up again in the Essex-based comedy are Cathy’s brother, Derek, (played by Ross Boatman) and his annoying partner, Pauline (played by Dorothy Atkinson).

Derek (ROSS BOATMAN) and Michael (PETER MULLAN) (Photo: BBC)

What does Manville say about the characters?

She told You magazine: “I love the fact that Cathy and Michael are not glamorous, they’re not thinking about how they look. They’re good, kind, thoughtful people. They’re intelligent. They’re very in touch with their own feelings and emotions and reality. They have a very acute understanding of the people around them.”

What awards has the comedy won?

The show won Best Comedy at the 2017 Broadcast Awards, while writer Stefan Golaszewski, who previously received a Bafta for the hit sitcom, Him & Her: The Wedding, won Best Comedy Writer at the Bafta Television Craft Awards and Manville was nominated in the Female Performance in a Comedy Programme category at the Bafta Television Awards.

The series also received a Best Sitcom nomination at the 55th annual Rose d’Or Awards in July 2016.

What does the BBC say about the new series?

Shane Allen, Controller BBC comedy commissioning says: “Mum is a truly special series, combining microscopic observation of human behaviour with a heart the size of Cathy’s wheelie bin. It’s a privilege to be able to bring another series to BBC Two and we can’t wait to see what Stefan and the team at Big Talk have in store.”

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